austraLasia #626
Pope nominates parish youth centres as priority for Church
Source - ZENIT
Rome: 4th Sept --Parish youth centres, or "oratories" as St. John Bosco called them, are the workshop of an active faith, a "place of education" and a "school of service" to others, according to Pope John Paul II.
The Holy Father was speaking on Saturday when he received 400 pilgrims from Varese, Italy, at Castel Gandolfo. The pilgrims were celebrating the centenary of St. Victor´s youth oratory and of the Robur et Fides sports association.
He said the oratory is the most appropriate place for the pastoral care of youth. Along with the family, such a pastoral centre "constitutes a priority for the Church," he said.
The centre is an environment where children and youths can reinforce "the values received in the family," the Pope said. "Sports activities, offered by the parishes, contribute" to this objective. If well planned, they help "young people to be generous and mutually supportive," he said.
The Holy Father expressed the hope that the cultural and sport services offered by parishes "be distinguished by a generous opening to solidarity."
It is precisely in service, inspired by prayer, that one finds "the privileged way" for the birth and growth of authentic ecclesial vocations "marked by dedication to the service of others," John Paul II stressed.
Rome: 4th Sept --Parish youth centres, or "oratories" as St. John Bosco called them, are the workshop of an active faith, a "place of education" and a "school of service" to others, according to Pope John Paul II.
The Holy Father was speaking on Saturday when he received 400 pilgrims from Varese, Italy, at Castel Gandolfo. The pilgrims were celebrating the centenary of St. Victor´s youth oratory and of the Robur et Fides sports association.
He said the oratory is the most appropriate place for the pastoral care of youth. Along with the family, such a pastoral centre "constitutes a priority for the Church," he said.
The centre is an environment where children and youths can reinforce "the values received in the family," the Pope said. "Sports activities, offered by the parishes, contribute" to this objective. If well planned, they help "young people to be generous and mutually supportive," he said.
The Holy Father expressed the hope that the cultural and sport services offered by parishes "be distinguished by a generous opening to solidarity."
It is precisely in service, inspired by prayer, that one finds "the privileged way" for the birth and growth of authentic ecclesial vocations "marked by dedication to the service of others," John Paul II stressed.
